Part V

THE FIVE-CHARACTER POEMS

OF WEI & JIN

( 魏 魏 魏 魏 魏 )

Wei was a kingdom during the Three-Kingdomperiod (220-280), we only mention Wei,because it was more outstanding in poetrythan Shu and Wu Kingdoms. Jin (265-420)includes both Western Jin (265-316) andEastern Jin (317-420) Dynasties. Wu Yan (魏魏 ) poetry, means five-character a lonepoems.

Wu Yan poetry was evolved from “Yue Fu”poetry. It was formalized at the turn ofthe second century to the third century. Werefer to this period in the Chinese historyof literature as the “Jian An ( 魏 魏 ) Era”.

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Jian An was the title of the reign ofEmperor Xian of Han. During this period,Cao Cao was the Prime Minister of Wei; heand his two sons were leaders in the worldof letters at the time. Besides three Caos,seven scholars were also famous. They notonly carried on the tradition of “YueFu”—“touched by sadness or happiness andinspired by events”, but also laid a solidfoundation for “Wu Yan” poetry.

魏 魏 (Cao Cao, 155-220) was a statesman,master of military affairs and a greatpoet. He became the Prime Minister of Weiin 209, in 214 was knighted the Duke ofWei, in 217 became the King of Wei and wasconferred

A portrait of Cao Cao

the title Emperor Wu of Wei posthumously.

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There are only less than 20 poems of CaoCao in existence today. They were allwritten in the form of 《Yue Fu Poems》, forinstance 《 魏 魏 魏 , Xie Lu Xing, The Dew ofGrass 》 and 《 魏 魏 魏 , Hao Li Xing, TheWormwoods 》 were all titles in 《 Yue FuPoems 》 , but Cao Cao used them to writeabout current events of the time. In thelatter, his sympathetic pen recorded thesufferings of the people in war:

魏魏魏魏魏， Kǎi jiǎ shēng jī shī,

魏魏魏魏魏， Wàn xìng yǐ sǐ wáng,

魏魏魏魏魏， Bái gǔ lù yū yě,

魏魏魏魏魏， Qiān lǐ wū jī míng,

魏魏魏魏一， Shēng mín bǎi yí yī,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Niàn zhī duàn rēn cháng.

Louses and their eggs are found in the armors,

Ten thousand people died,

Their white bones are exposed in the wilds,

No cock’s crow can be heard in a thousand li,

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Only one out of a hundred is alive,

It’s heartbroken to think of the scene.

His 《魏魏 魏魏夏, Bu Chu Xia Men Xing, Exit from XiaMen》 is consisted of several parts, amongthem the following two are most well known:

观观观, Guan Cang Hai

魏魏魏魏， Dōng lín jíe shí,

魏魏魏魏。 Yǐ guān cāng hǎi.

魏魏魏魏， Shūi hé dān dān,

魏魏魏魏。 Shān dǎo sǒng zhì.

魏魏魏魏， Shū mù cōng shēng,

魏魏魏魏。 Bǎi cāo fēng mào.

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魏魏魏魏， Qiū fēng xiáo sè,

魏魏魏魏。 Hōng bó yǒng qǐ.

魏魏魏魏， Rī yùe zhī xíng,

魏魏魏魏； Rūo chū qí zhōng;

魏魏魏魏， Xíng hàn càn làn,

魏魏魏魏。 Rūo chū qī lǐ.

魏魏魏魏， Xìng shèn zhī zāi,

魏魏魏魏。 Gé yǐ yōng zhì.

Observing the Blue Sea

Coming to the ease, I climbed up Mountain Jieshi,

To observe the blue sea.

The water is so vast,

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Hills and islands raise from it straight.

Trees and bush are all over,

Grasses prosper.

When autumn wind is soughing,

Gigantic waves are surging.

The movement of sun and moon,

Seemed to be powered up by the waves;

The splendid Milky Way,

Seemed to be born from the inside of the waves.

Since my mind is filled with elevation,

I compose this song to voice my aspiration.

Cao Cao devoted the whole poem to naturalscenery. No poet had ever done so beforeCao Cao. This poem can be regarded as theearliest landscape poem of China. Cao Caowrote it in September of the 12th year of“Jian An” period after he returned from asuccessful battle. Ever since Song Yu, allpoems about autumn carry a sad tone. Yet,no sadness can be detested from this poem.What we find in it is magnitude, vigor,

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power and grandeur which illustrate thebroad mind of the poet. Another poem inthis part is 《魏魏魏, Gui Sui Shou, Though theLong Life of Turtle》 which read:

魏魏魏魏， Shén gūi súi shòu,

魏魏魏魏。 Yōu yǒu jìng shī.

魏魏魏魏， Tēng shé chēng wù,

魏魏魏魏。 Zhūng wéi tǔ hūi,

魏魏魏魏, Lǎo jì fū lí,

魏魏魏魏， Zhì zài qiān lǐ,

魏魏魏魏， Liè shì mù nián,

魏魏魏魏。 Zhuàng xín bù yǐ.

魏魏魏魏， Yíng sūo zhī qī,

魏魏魏魏； Bù dàn zài tián;

魏魏魏魏， Yǎng yí zhī fū,

魏魏魏魏。 Ké dē yǒng niǎn,

魏魏魏魏， Xìng shèn zhì zāi,

魏魏魏魏。 Gé yǐ yǒng zhì.

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Long was the life of the divined turtle,

It came to an end still.

Flying snake used to wind through mist,

It finally became dust.

The old horse is feeding itself by the manger,

Another thousand li it wishes to cover,

The heart of a hero in his old age,

Is as stout as ever.

The wax of life or its wane,

Is not entirely decided by heaven;

If one knows how to keep himself healthy and happy,

He can certainly obtain longevity.

Since my mind is in such a state of elevation,

I compose this song to voice my aspiration.

The poet was 53 when he wrote this poem,

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which stated truly his positive andenterprising spirit. He also wrote songs toexpress his political ideals and hiswillingness to open all venues for peopleof talent, for instance in 《魏魏魏, Duan GeXing, A Short Songs》:

魏魏魏魏， Dùi jiǔ dāng gé,

魏魏魏魏？ Rēn shéng jǐ hé?

魏魏魏魏， Pì rū zhāo lù,

魏魏魏魏。 Qù rī kǔ dūo.

魏魏魏魏， Kǎi dāng yǐ kāng,

魏魏魏魏。 Yōu sī nān wàng,

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魏魏魏魏， Hé yǐ jǐe yōu,

魏魏魏魏。 Wéi yǒu dù kāng.

魏魏魏魏， Qīng qīng zǐ jīn,

魏魏魏魏。 Yōu yōu wó xīn,

魏魏魏魏， Dàn wéi jūn gù,

魏魏魏魏。 Chēn yīn zhì jīn.

魏魏魏魏， Yōu yōu lù míng,

魏魏魏魏。 Shí yě zhī pīng.

魏魏魏魏， Wó yǒu jiā bīn,

魏魏魏魏。 Gǔ sè chūi shēng.

魏魏魏魏， Míng míng rú yùe,

魏魏魏魏。 Hé shī kě dúo.

魏魏魏魏， Yōu cōng zhōng lái,

魏魏魏魏。 Bù kě duàn jūe.

魏魏魏魏， Yùe mò dù qiān,

魏魏魏魏。 Wǎng yòng xiāng cūn.

魏魏魏魏, Qì kùo tán yàn,

魏魏魏魏。 Xīn niàn jiù ēn.

魏魏魏魏， Yùe míng xīng xī,

魏魏魏魏。 Wū qùe nǎn féi.

魏魏魏魏， Rào shù sān zā,

魏魏魏魏。 Hé zhī kě yī.

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魏魏魏魏， Shān bù yàn gáo,

魏魏魏魏， Shūi bú yàn shēn,

魏魏魏魏， Zhōu gōng tǔ bǔ,

魏魏魏魏。 Tiān xià guī xīn.

When raise a cup of wine, one should sing,

After all life can not be ever lasting.

Isn’t life just like the morning dew?

Day after day its evaporation can not even be slow.

Though my generosity goes along with chivalry,

I can not get rid of my worry.

To forget my worry,

The liquor of Dukang is the only recipe.

Young scholars’ blue gown,

Has appeared in my mind for long.

It is because of this young gentry,

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I have kept my voice low until today.

The deer call to one another with beautiful sound,

While eating celery in the field.

I have honorable guest,

For them drums, string and pipe instruments are played.

(The gentry is like) the bright moon,

When can I reach it in the heaven?

This thought gives me worry,

I can no longer find peace and merry.

You all have come from far away,

And demeaned yourselves to work with me.

We are talking so heartily at this banquet,

Your trust and favor I shall not forget.

The moon is bright, yet stars are sparse,

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The magpies are flying to the south.

They sometimes fly around a tree three times,

Can not decide to rest on which branches.

Mountain never rejects height,

Water never rejects depth,

I shall act like Duke Zhou who nursed talents,

And win the trust from every heart.

It is said that Cao Cao composed this poemat a banquet held on a big ship at thenorthern bank of the Changjiang River,before a decisive battle with the Kingdomof Wu. The poem expressed his broad mind ofdesiring more talented people. The “bluegown” and “deer call” are famous lines from《The Book of Songs》. He compared talents tothe moon, those who had not decided to joinhim as magpies. It should be pointed outthat Cao Cao’s personnel policy was verybold and creative at the time. People heused may not be “kind” or “filial”, butthey were experts in the art of warfare and

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state matters.Cao Cao’s poems are heartfelt, powerful andsimple without embellishment. Passion,sadness and chill are the basic tone of“Jian An” literature. They are moststriking in Cao Cao’s poems. He was thefirst who used old 《Yue Fu Poems》 titles todescribe events, for instance, 《The Dew onGrass》 and 《The Wormwoods》 were elegies in《 Yue Fu Poems 》 , but Cao Cao gave themcontents, which were entirely new. BecauseCao Cao’s influence, many scholars weregathered around him, including the “sevenscholars” we mentioned before, at Yexia,the capital of Wei.

Cao Pi (魏魏, 187-226), the elder son of CaoCao took over the seat of the King of Weiin 220. He was able to write beautifularticles when he was only eight. He is anoutstanding poet in his own right, 40 ofhis poems are now in existence.

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Cao Zhi (魏魏, 192-232), the third and mosttalented son of Cao Cao who intended toappoint him the crown prince. Yet Cao Caowas several times enraged at Cao Zhi’sunbridled behaviors while his elder brotherwas good at currying favors with Cao Cao.After Pi became

A portrait of Cao Zhi

the King, he was very much on guard againstZhi and limited Zhi’s actions. Pi was stilljealous of Zhi’s talents after he came topower. To embarrass Zhi, Pi asked Zhi to

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compose a poem within seven steps in frontof all the ministers. Before the seventhstep, the following lines were uttered outof Zhi’s mouth:

魏魏魏魏魏， Zhǔ dòu rān dòu jí,

魏魏魏魏魏， Dòu zài fǔ zhōng qì,

魏魏魏魏魏， Bēn shì tóng gēn shēng,

魏魏魏魏魏？ Xiāng jiān hé tài jí?

Bean is being boiled by burning its stalks,

Bean is crying inside the cauldron,

Since we were born from the same root,

Why so anxious in boiling me?

So, in the end, the one that wasembarrassed was Cao Pi. When talking aboutZhi’s talent, Xie Lingyun of Southern

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A painting depicting Cao Zhi’s prose “The Deity of RiverLuo”.

Dynasties said, “If there are 100 gift inthe world, Zhi has possessed 80, I possess10 and all other people under heaven sharethe rest.” The following words in hisfamous poetic prose 《 The Deity of RiverLuo》 can show how fertile his pen was: “Her

figure, light as a startled swan goose flying up, graceful as a meandering

dragon. Her looks glow as autumn chrysanthemum, exuberate as a spring

pine. She sometimes looked so indistinct as the moon being shaded by a layer

of light clouds; sometimes lithe as the snow drifted back by wind. Looking

from afar, she is as radiant as rosy clouds at dawn; closing up, she is brilliant

as lotus rising from green waters.” Zhi’s poems in hisearly days are different from his later

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days. His early poetry falls into twocategories: 《魏魏, Dou Ji, Cock’s Fight》 and《魏魏, Gong Yan, The Duke’s Banquet》 in thefirst category reflect his leisurely lifeas a prince; 《魏魏魏, Song Ying Shi, SeeingOff Ying》 and 《魏魏魏魏魏, Tai Shan Liang FuXing, Liangfu on Mount Tai》 in the secondcategory reflect his experience of beingborn in unrest and grew up in army life,the following lines in the latter poem arewell known:

魏魏魏魏魏， Bā fāng gè yì qì,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Qiān lǐ shū fēng yǔ.

魏魏魏魏魏， Jù zāi biān hǎi mīn,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Jì shēn yū cāo yě.

魏魏魏魏魏， Qī zī xiàng qín shòu,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Xíng zhī yī lín zǔ.

魏魏魏魏魏， Chái mēn hé xiāo tiáo,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Hú tǖ xiáng wǒ yǔ.

Atmosphere differs from place to place,

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Wind and rain are different a thousand li away.

People by seaside are leading a hard life,

They live in the wilds.

Their wives look like birds and beasts,

Their actions are dangerous in mountain forests.

It’s desolate behind the wooden door,

Even fox and rabbit come in to play.

Poems of his later period conveyed hisindignant and grief feelings and hisunwillingness of being put aside withoutdoing anything. After two of his friendswere killed by Pi, he wrote 《魏魏魏魏魏, Ye TianHuang Que Xing, The Flight of YellowSparrows in the Fields》 to criticize Pi. Hewrote another 《 The Dew of Grass 》 toexpress his aspirations even though he wasin adversity:

魏魏魏魏魏， Huāi cǐ wāng zǔo cāi,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Káng kǎi dū bù qūn.

… ……

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魏魏魏魏魏， Chèng wǒ jìng cùn hàn,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Liú zào chūi húa fēn.

I possess the talent of assisting a king,

I’m impassioned and unique.

…

I could only run my brush pen freely,

Let the beauty of my writings pass on.

One of the 《魏魏魏, Qi Ai Shi, Poems of SevenSorrows》 conveys the same spirit:

魏魏 魏魏魏一， Yuàn yù yī qīng jì,

魏魏魏魏魏， Xī zāi wū fāng zhōu,

魏魏魏魏魏， Xián jū fēi wū zhì,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Gān xīn fù gúo yōu.

I would like to have a light crossing over waters,

Regretfully I have no boat.

Staying idle at home is not my wish,

I’d rather relieve the worries of the state

.

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In the following poem, Zhi expressed hispent-up feelings by comparing himself to abeauty:

观 女 观 Mēi Nǚ Piān 魏 魏 by Cao Zhi

魏 魏魏魏女 ， Mēi nǚ yáo qiě xiàn,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Cǎi sāng qí lù jiān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Rōu tiáo fēn rǎn rǎn,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Lùo yè hé piān piān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Rǎng xiù jiàn sù shǎu,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Hào wàn yūe jīn huāng.

魏魏魏魏魏， Tōu shàng jīn jǔe chāi,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Yāo pèi cùi lāng gān.

魏魏魏魏体， Míng zhū jiāo yù tǐ,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Shān hú jiān mù nān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Lūo yī hé piāo yáo,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Qīng jū súi fēng huán.

魏魏魏魏魏， Pàn gù yí guāng cǎi,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Chāng xiào ìi rūo lán.

魏魏魏魏魏， Xīng tú yòng xī jià,

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魏魏魏魏魏。 Xiū zhē yǐ wàng cān.

魏魏 魏魏女 ， Jiè wèn nǔ ān jū,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Nǎi zài chēng nān duān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Qīng lōu lín dà lù,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Gāo mēn jīe chōng guān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Róng hūa yào zhāo rī,

魏魏魏魏魏？ Shūi bù xī lìng yǎn?

魏魏魏魏魏？ Mēi shī hé sūo yíng?

魏魏魏魏魏。 Yù bō bù shī ān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Jiā rén mù gáo yì,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Qiú xiān liáng dū nān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Zhòng rén tū ào ào,

魏魏魏魏魏？ ān zhī bǐ sūo guān?

魏魏魏魏魏， Shèng nián chù fāng shī,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Zhōng yè qǐ cháng tàn.

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The Beauty By Cao Zhi

The girl is beautiful and gentle,

Collecting mulberry by the road crossing.

The branches are softly dancing,

And the leaves are lightly dripping.

Sleeves rolled up to expose the white hand,

On the white wrist there is a golden ring.

A golden hairpin on her head,

And green ornament worn at her waist.

Embellished with red coral,

Her jade-like body also wears bright pearl.

Her silk dress is fluttering gently,

With the front part being blown backwards.

Her glance carries splendor,

Her long breath smells with orchid flavor.

Passers stopped their carts when looking at her,

Forgot to go on eating was some lunch takers.

People may ask where she lives,

Well, she lives in the southern part of the city.

The gray building sits by the roadside,

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With a high gate and a few heavy bolts.

Since her looks is as bright as the morning sun,

Who would not adore her beauty?

What have the matchmakers been doing?

Why jade and silk was not sent timely?

The beauty would love one with high virtue,

But such a person is hard to find.

Everybody is talking about her in vain,

Nobody understands her aspiration.

Still in her boudoir in the prime of her life,

So she often wakes up at mid-night and sigh.

Ye Xie, a critic of Qing Dynasty said thispoem carried much more weight than allother poems created in the Han Dynasty andthe Kingdom of Wei, because the conceptionis delicate, implicit and meaningful, thelanguage flowery, yet refined and the rhymnatural.There are more than 80 of Cao Zhi’s poemsthat have been well kept. Cao Zhi has beenregarded the first poet who laid a

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foundation for “Wu Yan” poetry, a greatmaster of “Wu Yan” poetry. Some even saidthat Zhi’s poetry “shines over the past andtoday, he is matchless.” Some of his lineshave become epigrams, for instance: 魏魏魏魏魏 魏魏魏魏魏魏，。

Gua tian bu na lu, li xia bu zheng guan.

Don't pull on your shoe in a melon patch,

Don’t adjust your cap under a plum tree.

(note: the implication is that doing so, you would be mistaken as a thief.)

魏魏魏魏魏， 魏魏魏魏魏。

Juan qu fu guo nan, shi si hu ru gui.

Lay down your life to relieve the state from adversity,

Look upon death as going home.

This is certainly the result of his effortsin refining and polishing the words heintended to use in his poetry, which is onthe one hand intensely impassioned andvigorous and on the other hand rich andcolorful in his language. Later critics and

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scholars always took the style of the threeCaos to evaluate poetry, and they named itthe “Vigorous style of Jian An”.Aside from Cao Zhi, Wang Can (177-217) wasthe next

A portrait of Wang Can

most famous poet of the time. Only 23 ofhis poems have been kept to date, amongthem 《Poems of Seven Sorrows》 have alwaysbeen popularly known. The first (of thethree) poem of seven sorrows reads:

魏魏魏魏魏西， Xī jíng luàn wū xiàng,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Chái hǔ fáng gòu huàn.

魏魏魏魏魏， Fù qì zhōng gúo qù,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Wěi shēn shì jíng mān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Qīn qì dùi wǒ bēi,

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魏魏魏魏魏。 Péng yǒu xiāng zhūi pān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Chū mén wú sǔo jiàn,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Bái gǔ bì píng yuān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Lù yǒu jī fū rén,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Bōo zī qì cǎo jiān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Gù wén hòo qì shēng,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Hūi lèi dú bù huān.

“魏魏魏魏魏， “Wèi zhī shēn sǐ chù,

魏魏魏魏魏?” Hé nēng liǎng xiāng wān?”

魏魏魏魏魏， Qú mǎ qì zhī qù,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Bù rěn tíng cī yán.

魏魏魏魏魏， Nán dēng bà líng ān,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Hūi shǒu wàng chāng ān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Wū bǐ xià quān rén,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Kūi rán shāng xīn gān.

Because the west capital is lawless,

Jackals and tigers are perils.

I again have to leave,

And condescend to a job in Jingzhou.

Relatives were sad for my leaving,

Friends followed me not willing to part.

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I saw nothing outside the city gate,

But white bones all over the land.

And a hungry woman by the roadside,

Discarding her baby into the weeds.

I heard her desperate cry,

She was weeping, but did not turn back.

“I don’t know where I’ll end my life,

How can I watch my child die with my eye!”

I could only drive my horse forward,

And can no longer bear such sad word.

I then climb up the Baling bank in the south,

And looking back at Changan.

I then come to understand the man who wrote “Xia Quan”1,

I sigh with a broken heart.

You can find similar lines about the scenesof refugees in the chaos of was in thepoems by the rest of the “seven scholars”who encountered more or less the samesituation. Such an impassioned sigh is acommon feature of “Jian An” poetry.

1 A title in the 《The Book of Songs》. He who composed it longed for a wise and upright king.

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We have to mention Ruan Ji (210-263) of thelate Wei period. As the son of Ruan Yu, oneof the “Seven Schalars”, Ruan Ji inclinedpolitically to the Cao family when Sima Yiestablished Jin Dynasty after he killed CaoShuang, the last ruler of Wei. Jin Dynastyexercised high coercion and punished allwho opposed the Sima family. Under suchcircumstances, Ruan Ji studied behindclosed doors, traveled, got himself drunkand kept his mouth shut about politicalissues. Nobody knew what his politicalattitude really was. Zhong Hui, a highranking official tried many times to findout his views on state affairs, but eachtime Zhong came to talk to him, he wasdrunk. Sima Zhao, Sima Yi’s son had to trypersonally. But when he talked to Ruan, thelatter’s words always deviated from thequestions. Because of Ruan’s fame, SimaZhao wanted his child be married to Ruan’s.

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Ruan could not openly oppose the marriage.Yet, when the Sima family was ready to getthe bride, Ruan got himself drunk for 60days. The Sima family had to give up theidea of the marriage. They could do nothingabout him. But, Ruan’s political views wereexpressed implicitly in his poems. Let’sread the following one:

魏魏魏魏魏， Er fēi yóu jiāng bīn,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Xiāo yáo shēn fēng xiáng.

魏魏魏魏魏， Jiáo pū huái huán pèi,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Wǎn luán yǒu fēn fāng.

魏魏魏魏魏， Yī mí qíng huān ài,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Qiān zǎi bù xiāng wàng.

魏魏魏魏魏， Qǐng chēng mí xià cài,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Róng hǎo jiē zhōng cháng.

魏魏魏魏魏， Gǎn jí shēng yōu sī,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Xuān cāo shù lán fāng.

魏魏魏魏魏， Gáo mù wèi shūi shī,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Qī yǔ yuàn zhāo yāng.

魏魏魏魏魏， Rú hé jīn shí jiāo,

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魏魏魏魏魏一！ Yī dàn gèng lí shāng!

Two ladies were cruising along the riverside,

The danced freely with the wind.

Jiaopu asked for their jade pendants,

The ladies were so sweat and fragrant.

His passion for them lingered,

Never forget them, he pledged.

Their amazingly beautiful looks that could bewilder all the people of Xiacai,

Had certainly printed deeply in his mind.

They felt great anxiety because of missing him,

Xuancao grass had to be planted before their room.

For whom should they apply their hair dressing oil?

There was always the morning sun when they were longing for the drizzle.

How come the gold and rock firm relation,

Could in an instant be sadly broken!

He wrote 82 poems under the title of 《魏魏魏,Yong Huai Shi, Intonation of Mind 》 , andthis is the second poem. The first fourlines describe a story from Liu Xiang’s《 Biography of Immortals 》 . The two ladies

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are deity figures. The following eightlines were the imagination of the poet.These lines are a preparation for the lasttwo lines. Apparently Zheng jiaopu didn’tkept his pledge. He never went to see thetwo ladies. The poet compared the Simafamily to Zheng. The Simas were deeplytrusted by the Caos, yet finally theybetrayed the Caos in a most shameless way.The idea that the beauty’s good looksbewildered all the people of Xiacai isborrowed from one of Song Yu’s prose, inwhich Song said that when the beautysmiled, all the people of Yangcheng wereobssessed and all the people of Xiacaibewildered. The reason for the two ladiesto plant Xuancao grass before their roomswas that when people looked at the grassthey could forget their worries. Ruan hasbeen regarded as the representative of“Zheng Shi” literature. His worksinfluenced Tao Yuanming, Yu Xin, Chen Ziang

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and Li Bai.

Zuo Si, a representative of the Tai KangLiterature, was an outstanding and boldpoet of the Western Jin Dynasty. He wasugly in appearance and slow in speech, yetvery diligent in his studies. It is saidthat he wrote five volumes of works.Unfortunately there are only two of hisprose and 14 of his poems in existencetoday. His 《魏魏, Yong Shi, Ode to History》,consisted of eight poems, has been veryinfluential.

魏魏魏魏魏， Yù yù jiàn dǐ sōng,

魏魏魏魏魏， Lí lí shān shāng miǎo,

魏魏魏魏魏， Yǐ bǐ jìng cùn jìng,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Yīn cī bǎi chǐ tiāo.

Luxuriant is the pine at the bottom of ravine,

A lush growth of seedling on mountain top,

Their inch long stems wish,

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To shade over the hundred foot long pine.

What does that mean? Zuo Si told ushimself: this phenomenon is as unreasonableas the following:

魏魏魏魏魏， Shì zhòu niè gāo wèi,

魏魏魏魏魏， Yīng jùn chén xià liǎo,

魏魏魏魏魏， Dì shì shī zhī rán,

魏魏魏 魏魏一。 Yōu lái fēi yì zhāo.

Sons of nobility occupied high positions,

Heroes and talents are only petty official down below,

The way the terrain goes,

Has been like this for many mornings.

In the 7th poem when he described thefrustrations of ancient talents he lashedout at the darkness of strangling talentsby saying:

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A painting of Zuo Si.

魏魏魏魏魏， 魏魏魏魏魏。

Hé shī wú qí cāi, yí zhī zài cǎo zē.

There hasn’t been any generation without genius,

But they have all been thrown into swamps.

A pen incisive as such wasn’t common duringhis period. In the same poem, he expoundedon his attitude toward life:

魏魏魏魏魏， Gùi zhē sūi zì gùi,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Shì zhī rǔo āi chēn.

魏魏魏魏魏， Jiàn zhē sūi zì jiàn,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Zhòng zhī rùo qiān jūn.

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Noble ones feel self-important,

They may be as light as dust.

Humble ones feel self-abased,

They may be as heavy as a mount (tons).

There were not many good poetry after Zuo Siuntil the later period of the Eastern JinDynasties when Tao Yuanming (365-427) was bornand radiated extraordinary splendor in the

A portrait of Tao Yuanming

history of Chinese literature. Tao led a hardlife since his childhood, because his fatherdied early. He experienced much politicalturmoil during his teenage; he then encountered

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the change of dynasties and was extremelyunsatisfied with the politics of the time. Hewas an official for four or five years; thehighest position was a county magistrate. Butit was impossible for him to go any higher,since he couldn’t bear the sight of dirty dealsand corruption in politics and despised therotten life of officials. He would rather livein seclusion and do some farming. He said,“魏魏魏魏魏 魏魏魏魏魏魏魏， 。 To be an official wasn’t my desire,my career is in the fields.” The following poemcan tell us how happy he was when he forsookthe official position. Please read the prefaceof “Returning Back”:

I am from a poor family, a family that could not providesufficient food from farming and plantation. My home was

crowded with children, there have never been enough food to

feed them. I really don’t have the ability to give the family a

reliable source of living. Therefore, most relatives suggested

that I should try to become an official at the county. I

thought naturally that his was a good idea. Yet, I couldn’t

find out how to get such a position. It so happened that armed

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forces rose up everywhere. Warlords regarded it a virtue to

show their kind favors. Given that I was so poor, my uncle

recommended me to work in a small city. I was afraid to go to a

far place, especially at that time tranquility hadn’t been

restored. Since the city of Pengze was only a hundred li away

from home, considering the grains from the public plot that was

alloted to the position would be enough to cover my expenses of

wine drinking, I took that position. But before long, I began

to think of returning home. Why? Because my natural disposition

could not allow me to act reluctantly or unnaturally. Though

hunger and coldness were hard to bear, yet to do things against

my will made me feel even more uneasy. When I took that post, I

yielded to the needs of my stomach and body. I was very

depressed, sighed with regret that what I did wasn’t in line

with my life-long aspirations. I only hoped to get one harvest

from the plot quickly. I would pack up and leave on the night

of the harvest. I had to hurry to Wuchang to pay my last

respect to my sister, who was married to the Cheng family, had

passed away there. I thus deposed myself. From mid autumn to

winter, I was an official for some eighty odd days. Having

acted of my own will, I wrote this poem 《Returning Back》. Now

it is the eleventh month of the year Yi Si (AD 405).

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观观观观观 Gūi Qù Lái Xī Cī

魏魏魏魏， Gūi qù lái xī,

魏魏魏魏魏魏魏？ Tián yuān jiāng wú hú bù gūi?

魏魏魏魏魏魏魏， Jì zì yǐ xīn wéi xíng yì,

魏魏魏魏魏魏！ Xī chóu chàng ēr dú bēi!

魏魏魏魏魏魏， wū yǐ wǎng zhī bú jiàn,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Zhī lái zhē zhī kě zhūi.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Shí mí tú qī wèi yuǎn,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Jūi jīn shì ēr zúo fēi.

魏魏魏魏魏魏魏 Zhōu yáo yáo yǐ qīng yáng,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Fēng piāo piāo ēr chūi yī.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Wèn zhēng fū yǐ qiǎn lù,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Hèn chēn guāng zhī xī wēi.

魏魏魏魏， Nǎi zhān héng yǔ,

魏魏魏魏。 Zāi xīn zāi bēn.

魏魏魏魏， Tóng pǔ huān yíng,

魏魏魏魏。 Zì zī hōu mēn.

魏魏魏魏， Sān jìng jiù huāng,

魏魏魏魏。 Sōng jǖ yōu cūn.

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魏魏魏魏， Xié yōu rù shǐ,

魏魏魏魏。 Yǒu jiǔ yíng zūn.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Yǐn hú shāng yǐ zì zhūo,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Miān tíng kē yǐ yí yān.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Yī nán chuāng yǐ zì ào,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Shěn róng xī zhī ān yì.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Yuán rī shè yǐ chēng qū,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Mén sūi shè ēr chāng guān.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Cè fú lǎo yǐ liú qī,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Shí jiāo shǒu ēr xiá guān.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Yūn wú xīn yǐ chū xiù,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Niǎo juān fēi ēr zhī huān.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Jǐng yì yì yǐ jiāng rù,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Fū gū sōng ēr pán huán.

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A painting depicting the theme of the poem

魏魏魏魏， Gui qu lai xi,

魏魏魏魏魏魏！ Qing xi jiao yi jue you!

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Shi yu wo er xiang wei,

魏魏魏魏魏魏？ Fu jia yan xi yan qiu?

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Yue qin qi zhi qing hua,

魏魏 魏魏魏书 。 Le qin shu yi xiao you.

魏魏魏魏魏魏魏， Nong ren gao yu yi chun ji,

魏魏魏魏 魏魏西。 Jiang you shi yu xi chou.

魏魏魏魏， Hùo mìng jīn chē,

魏魏魏魏。 Hùo zhūo gū zhōu.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Jì yáo tiáo yǐ xūn hè,

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魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Yì qí qū ēr jīng qiū.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Mù xīn xīn yǐ xiàng róng,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Quān juān juān ēr shǐ liū.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Shàn wàn wù zhī dé shī,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Gǎn wū shēng zhī xīng xiū.

魏魏魏， Yǐ Yì hū,

魏魏魏魏魏魏魏！ Yù xíng yǔ nèi fù jǐ shí!

魏魏魏魏魏魏魏， Hé bù wēi xīn rèn qù liú,

魏魏魏魏魏魏魏魏魏？ Hú wēi hū huāng huāng yù hé zhī?

魏魏魏魏魏， Fù gùi fēi wū yuàn,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Dì xiāng bù kě qī.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Huāi liáng chēn yǐ gū wāng,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Hùo zhí zhàng ēr yūn zǐ.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Dēng dōng gǎo yǐ shú xiāo,

魏魏魏魏魏魏。 Līn qīng liú ēr fù shī.

魏魏魏魏魏魏， Liáo chéng hàa yǐ gūi jīn,

魏魏魏魏魏魏魏！ Lè hū tīan mìng fū xī yí!

Returning Back By Tao Yuanming

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I’m returning back,

Shouldn’t I return when fields and garden are almost wasted?

Since my physical needs conquered my will,

I don’t have to feel dejected and sorrowful.

I realize that the bygones can not be redeemed,

I know that the forthcoming can be redressed.

I was actually not too far on the wrong way,

I feel I am right today but wrong yesterday.

The light boat was bumpy and had sailed long,

The wind was blowing up my gown.

I asked about the distance still to cover,

And resent the dimness at the early hour.

At the sight of my shabby mansion,

I started to run with pleasurable emotion.

Servants came out to greet me,

My child was waiting at the gateway.

The footpath already dilapidated,

Yet, the pine and chrysanthemum survived.

With my child I entered into the room,

I saw the wine vessel is full.

Taking a cup I drank myself,

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Glancing at the woods outside I felt a sense of relief.

Leaning on the southern window I recollected my pride,

And reflecting on the ease there might be in the small room.

How wonderful to walk everyday in the garden,

And keeping the gate shut often.

Stick in hand I could walk on or pause,

And look up into the boundless.

Clouds came out from the remote hills without intention,

Tried birds knew when they should return.

It was getting dark and things looked vague,

With one hand on the lonely pine I still walked around.

I am returning back,

With those I knew there would be no more contact.

Since in my round hole the world was a square peg,

What was there for me to forsake home and quest?

The cordial words in my family were so pleasing,

Lutes and calligraphy could keep me from worrying.

Farmers told me spring was approaching,

In the west fields there would be ploughing.

I could either drive a cart,

Or row a single boat.

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In order to find a beautiful valley,

Or climb up a hillock through the rough way.

Trees grow to flourish,

Water in the brook trickles to flow.

Time is opportune for every thing in nature,

Yet my life couldn’t be in prime for any longer.

Ah, ha, ha!

How long in the world could my body reside?

Why not just follow my own clinations!

What did I quest for in a hurried pace?

I don’t aspire to be wealthy,

Neither do I expect to enter the land of immortality.

On a nice day I would go outing,

Or put the tick aside and do some farming.

I might climb up the eastern highland to shout with force,

Or compose poems by the clear waters.

I would just conform to the nature during my life-span,

I am delighted to know and not doubtful of the mandate of heaven.

So, he really did farming, and “talkedabout mulberry and flax” with farmers.

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That’s why Tao has always been regarded apastoral poet, and indeed, he was the firstin China who took pastoral life as animportant theme in poetry. Things in thefields were so refreshing to him:

魏魏魏魏魏 魏魏魏魏魏魏，。

Niǎo lòng huān xīn jié, Lìng fēng sōng yú shàn.

So joyful at festival are the chirping birds,

Cool breeze is still kind-hearted.

《 魏 魏 魏 魏 魏 魏 , Gūi Yuán Tián Jū Wǔ Shǒu, FivePoems on Returning to Pastoral Life》 is themost famous representative work of hispastoral poetry. One of them goes:

魏魏魏魏魏， Fāng zhái shí yú mǔ,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Cāo wū bā jiǔ jiān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Yú liǔ yīn hòu yán,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Táo lǐ lōo tāng qián.

魏魏魏魏魏， Nuān nuān yuǎn rén cūn,

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魏魏魏魏魏。 Yī yī xū lǐ yān.

魏魏魏魏魏， Gǒu fèi shēn xiàng zhōng,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Jí míng sāng shù diān.

On more than ten mu of land are my square houses,

With eight or nine thatched cottages.

Elm and willow trees give shade to rear eaves,

Peach and plum trees stand before halls.

Looking from afar at this warm village,

Lingering smoke coming up from this once desolated place.

Deep in the lanes dogs bark,

Crowing at the top of mulberry tree is the cock.

It seemed to be a new type of life for him,he exclaimed, “I have been in the cage fortoo long, it’s such a delight to return tonature again.” (魏魏魏魏魏 魏魏魏魏魏， .) His 《魏魏魏 魏魏魏, Tāo HūaYuán Shī Bìng Jì, Poem on the Springs ofPeach Blossom and Related Notes》 has beenwidely spread. The note reads:

One day in the Taiyuan period of the Jin Dynasty (376-396), afisherman of Wuling county was going up a river in his boat, not

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knowing how far he had gone. Suddenly he saw a peach forestry.There were no other trees, only the peach that went severalhundred foot deep along both banks. The fisherman was astonishedeven more by the sweet and fresh grass and the fallen petals inriotous profusion. He kept on, intended to reach the end of theforest.When the forest was exausted, he found the source of the river,and above the source a mountain. He then abandoned the boat andentered into the opening. The opening was extremely narrow, itcould only let one person go through. However, a few dozen stepslater, an open space suddenly occurred. On the vast and flatland, houses were built in an orderly way, ponds looked nice,fields seemed fertile, mulberry, bamboo and other trees grewluxuriantly. There were also foot pathes crisscrossed in thefields. Once could hear cocks crowing and dogs barking. Peoplewere busy in the fields. But the clothing of both man and womenlooked very strange; old people and children looked happy. Theywere surprised when they saw the fisherman, and asked him wherehe came from. After the answer was given, he was invited into oneof he home and treated with wine and chicken. The villagers, whenheard about the stranger, came to talk to him. They said thattheir ancestors came to this isolated place with their families,in order to run away from the upheaval in the Qin Dynasty. Sincethen none of them had ever gone out of the place. They never hadany contacts with outsiders. When asked what year they were intoday, they didn’t even know there was the Han Dynasty, neitherdid they know anything about the kingdom of Wei or the JinDynasty. They all sighed after the fisherman told them what hadhappened in the world. The villagers then invited the fishermanto their homes and provided him with wine and food. The fishermanstayed there for a few days and left. He was told at parting,“Please don’t say anything about us to outsiders.”So, the fisherman came out, found his boat. While he wasreturning by the way he came, he left marks and signs. When hewas back at the prefecture, he went to see the Magistrate andtold him everything about the venture. The Magistrate then senthis men to see the springs with the fisherman as the guide. Theywent by the marks and signs the fisherman had left, but they gotlost. The way to the springs was nowhere to be found. Liu Ziji ofNan Yang County, a noble person, planned to try to locate thesprings when he heard about the story. He, however, died beforehe was able to do it. Thereafter nobody ever tried again.

魏魏魏魏魏， Yīng shì luàn tiān jì,

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魏魏魏魏魏。 Xián zhē bì qī shì. 魏魏魏魏魏， Huāng qí zhī shāng shān, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Yí rén yì yūn shì. 魏魏魏魏魏， Wǎng jì jìn fù yān, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Lái jìng sūi wú fèi. 魏魏魏魏魏， Xiāng mìng sì nōng gēng, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Rī rù cōng sūo qì. 魏魏魏魏魏， Sāng zhū chūi yú yīn, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Shú jì sūi shí yì.

A painting depicting the theme of “Springs of Peach Blossom”

魏魏魏魏魏， Chūn cán shōu chāng sī, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Qiū shōu mí wáng shìi. 魏魏魏魏魏， Huāng lù ài jiāo tōng, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Jī quǎn hù míng fèi. 魏魏魏魏魏， Zǔ dòu yōu gǔ fǎ, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Yī shāng wú xīn zhī 魏魏魏魏魏， Tóng rǔ zòng xǐng gē, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Bān bái huān yōu yì. 魏魏魏魏魏， Cǎo róng shí jiē hē, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Mù shūai zhī fēng lì. 魏魏魏魏魏， Sūi wú jì lì zhī,

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魏魏魏魏魏。 Sì shí zì chēng sùi. 魏魏魏魏魏， Yí rān yǒu yú lè, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Yú hé láo zhī hūi. 魏魏魏魏魏， Qí zōng yǐn wǔ bǎi, 魏魏魏魏魏一。 Yī zhāo chǎng shēn jiè. 魏魏魏魏魏， Chūn bó jì yì yuān, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Xuān fù huān yōu bì. 魏魏魏魏魏， Jiè wèn yóu fāng shī, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Yán cè chēn xiāo wài. 魏魏魏魏魏， Yuàn yán niè qíng fēng, 魏魏魏魏魏。 Gāo jǔ xūn wū qì.

Since Ying smashed the Heavenly order,

All virtuous men had to run for shelter.

Hang and Qi hid themselves on the Shangshan Mountain,

The ancestors of the people in the springs also left for a life in selusion.

Their foo-prints had long vanished,

The road by which they came had desolated.

The encouraged each other fo farm,

When sun set they all rested at home.

The could have surplus of mulberry and bamboo,

Five crops were sowed on time.

In spring long silkworm threads were collected,

In autumn no state tax was levid.

Though wild grass covered the road,

Yet dogs barked at the crowing cock.

The utensils for ceremonies still looked like old ones,

Nothing new could be found in their clothes.

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Children sang to their hearts’ content,

The white-hired joyfully played.

Fresh grass told them spring would come,

Witherig tree foreboded autumn.

Even though they had no calendar,

Still the foru seasons were clear.

They were happy with much pleasure,

Gadgetry and skill were not things for them to bother.

Hiding for over 500 years was a wonder,

That day they opened up their legendary picture.

Since simple, kind people and cunning, fickle men are of different origin,

After a short appearance they returned to their seclusion.

Let me ask all flesh and blood,

Do you know anything outside the secular world?

I would like to fly high with the light wind,

To look for my bosom friend.

This poem describes for the Chinese peoplewhat an ideal society is. In such asociety, there is no oppression, noexploitation; everyone is equal, human andloyal to tradition; everyone love labor and

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freedom. Such an ideal was a completedenial of the actual society of the time.It was also a fundamental denial of therampantly spreading Buddhist ideas. Theideal sociey in Buddhism is the otherworld.Tao’s ideal reflects truly the human natureof Chinese culture. Those who have not readthis poem, could not really comprehendChinese culture.Tao was also the first to write wine-drinking poems, he wrote 20 of them, andmost of them have been influential. Fewtook notice of his poetry at his time. Itwas until Tang Dynasty his poems were beingadmired. Tang poets like Li Bai, Bai Juyiand many others held great esteem for hischaracter and integrity; Tang poets likeMeng Haoran earnestly imitated his style;Song poet Su Shi went so far as to write111 poems to reply to Tao poems. Su Shisaid, “When you first read Yuanming’spoems, you feel they are loose and slow;

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yet, when you read more times, you woulddiscover a rare interest.”

A portrait of Xie Lingyun A painting of Xie Tiao

Before I end this chapter, I would like tomention very briefly three poets: XieLingyun (385-433) was the first one toconcentrate on mountains and waters andsince him on, there has been a school ofmountain and water poetry; Xie Tiao (464-499) was remarkable in blending feelingsinto his description of landscape; Yu Xin(513-581) was the forerunner in “魏魏魏魏, WuYan Jue Ju, Four-line Poetry of Wu Yan” and“魏魏魏魏, Wu Yan Lu Shi, Eight-line Poetry ofWu Yan”. He influenced many Tang poets. Yuhas been famous in turning out lines in

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describing scenery, for instance:

魏魏魏魏魏， Hé fēng jīng yù niǎo,

魏魏魏魏魏； Qiāo yīng jù xíng yú;

魏魏魏魏魏， Rī lūo hán shān qì,

魏魏魏魏魏。 Yūn gūi dài yǔ yú.

A portrait of Yu Xin

Wind through lotus leaves startled bathing birds,

Shadow of bridge gathers swimming fish;

Sun sets with the smell of mountain,

Clouds leave with remains of rain.

After Yu Xin, there wasn’t much good poetryuntil the Tang Dynasty.

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